Method and apparatus for producing sheet glass



June 23, 1931. J. DRAKE 1,810,908

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SHEET GLASS Filed Dec. 24, 1928 2Sheets-Sheet l amnion Jhn L.Dral(e dttocmq June 23, 1931. D E 1,810,908

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING SHEET GLASS Filed Dec. 24, 1928 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Jbhn L..Dra/(a zo across the length of the rolls.

Patented June 23, 1931 UNITED STATES PATEN TZOFFICE JOHN L. DRAKE, OFTOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO LIIBBEY-OWENS-FORD GLASS- COM- PANY, OFTOLEDO, OHIO, A COI BZPORATION OF OHIO METHOD AND APPARATUS FORPRODUCIllI'G SHEET GLASS Application filed December 24-, 1928. Serialat. 328,072.

.This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the manufacture ofsheet or plate glass.

According to one method commercially used in the production of sheetglass, a relatively lar e charge or pour of molten glass is floweifrom areceptacle or pot and deposited en masse upon a substantiallyhorizontally arranged receiver or slab, the said receiver being thentilted to cause the glass to be moved therefrom between a pair of;forming rolls associated with one end thereof, the glass being reducedby said rolls -to a sheet of substantially predetermined and uniformthickness. In such method, it has been found that the glass will flowfrom the receiver in a relatively narrow stream first between thecenters of the form-. ing rolls and will then gradually's read out bus,the head or initial portion of the sheet formed will be relativelynarrow and the said sheet will gradually become wider until it attainsthenet width desired. This relatively nar- 'row head portion of thesheet must then be removed or cut from the main body thereof since itisnot commercially usable and such 'removal thereof naturally involvesconsiderable waste and furthermore results in the 3 reduction of the.size of sheet produced.

1 The general object of the present invention-is to avoid the aboveobjectionable feature incident to the operation of the method describedby providing an improved method and apparatus whereby the molten glassmay be deposited upon the receiver in a more efiicient manner to the endthat the spreading of the glass laterally thereupon may be more rapidlyeffected and the sheet produced brought more. quickly to its deslred'net width. Thus, the amount of glass, which must be trimmed from thehead or initial portion of the sheet produced is and as a result theamount of waste is 1y reduced and the length of sheet formedcorrespondingly increased.

Another 0 ject 'of theinvention resides in the provision of such amethod and apparatus wherein the molten glass. is initially flowed uponthe receiver adjacent mined gre r the opposite ends thereof and thensubsequently in the center so that the glass stream passing to theforming rolls is spread from opposite sides toward the center instead offrom. the center towardv opposite sides as heretofore. q

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparentduring the course of the following description when taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings. g In the. drawings forming a part ofthis application and wherein like numerals are employed to designatelike parts throughout the same,

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through apparatus provided bythe present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a diagramihatic lan view show ing the manner in which t emolten glass flows upon the receiver in accordance with the presentlnvention.

F1g.'4 is a transverse section through the improved receptacle or pot,"and Fig. 5 is a perspective view-thereof. Q Referring to the drawings,there is illus-. trated a sheet formin v v superposed forming rolls 10and 11 'spa from one another to create a sheet forming pass'therebetween.

The numeral 12 designates an inclined receiver or slab adapted toreceive'thereupon the molten glass "13 from the receptacle or pot 14 andto deliver it to the forming rolls.

These rolls functions to reduce the molten mechanism including v r apairof substantizig' glass to a sheet 15 of substantially predeterand.uniform thickness, said sheet passing downwardly from the rolls over anid inclined runway plurality of cars or carriers may be provided withwheels 18 or. apron 16 onto one or a or carriers 17'. These cars runningupon tracks 19 and niay be driven Y I from a drive pinion '20 meshingwith rack' bars 21 secured to the under sides or hottoms thereof. One ofthe forming rolls '10 or 11 is adapted to be positively driven such Iroll is a apted to be driven from the ositively' driven 'roll throughintermeshing as through a chain drivei22and. the other f i 55 of theinvention gears'23 carried by the shafts of'. said rolls and whichshafts are jqurnaled at their opposite ends in bearing brackets 24:.

'According to the present invention, .the

molten glass is deposited upon the receiver in a novel and eflicientmanner to the end that the glass will be spread'more quickly over thereceiver whereby the sheet will more rapidly attain its desired width.This is herein effected by constructing the receptacle or pot 14 of ovalformation as clearly illustrated-in Fig. 5. The side walls 29 of the potare provlded with upwardly curved lips 1 30 which are highest atsubstantially the lon- 15 gitudinal center of the pot and graduallydecrease toward" the opposite ends thereof. .When using such a pot, itwill be seen, uponreference to Fig. 2, that upon initialtilting of saidpot, the glass will fiow therefrom 2 adjacent the opposite ends thereofin the form of streams 31and 32, the lip 30 preventing the tworelatively narrow spaced glass from flowing from .the center of the pot.Upon continued tilting of the pot,'however, the glass will flow from thecenterthereof and this central flow indicated at 33' will effect auniting of the spaced streams 31 and 32 to form a single stream. Thestream of glass will thus then take the form shown in Fig. 3 and will beof a width substantially equal to the length of the receiver and formingrolls. As the glass then passes between the forming rolls; the endportions 31 and 32 will be spread inwardly toward the center so that thehead portion 34 of the sheet 35 will take substantially the formillustrated in broken lines. The head portion 34 can then be cuttransversely along the line 36 and it will be clearly apparent 40thatthe amount of waste incurred with this method will be reduced to aminimum. Since the glass is spread more efliciently, and-uniformly overthe receiver, the sheet 35 will more quickly attain its desired width 4so that not only will the amount of waste be greatly reduced, but thelength of sheet obtained from a given quantity of glass likewiseincreased.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown anddescribed so stream of molten glass, and in reducing the stream to asheet of substantially predetermined and uniform thickness by spreadingit from o posite sides toward the center.

2. In t e manufacture of sheet glass, the

or the scope of the substream of molten glass, and in reducing thestream to a sheet of substantially predetermined and uniform thicknessby rolling first 1 the border portions of the stream and subsequentlythe central portion thereof.

3. In the manufacture of sheet glass, the method consisting insetting-up a moving stream of molten glass, advancing the borderportions of the streamahead of the central portion thereof, and .inreducin the stream to a sheet of substantially predetermined and uniformthickness by spreading the border portions thereof toward the cen- 1ter.

4. In the manufacture of sheet glass, the method consisting insetting-up a moving stream of molten glass, advancing the borderportions of the stream ahead of the central portion thereof, and in thenreducing the stream to a sheet of substantially redetermined and uniformthickness by rol ing first the border portions and subsequently thecentral portion thereof.

5. In the manufacture of sheet glass, the method consisting in initiallysetting-upa plurality of spaced moving streams of molten glass,subsequently creating a central stream to unite the spaced streams toform a single stream, and in then "reducing the single stream to a sheetof substantially predeter-;

mined and uniform thickness.

6. In the manufacture of sheet glass, the

method consisting in delivering a stream of molten glass to asheet-forming pass, and

,in advancing the stream -so that the side portions thereof will engagethe forming pass ahead of thecentral portion.

7. In the manufacture of sheet glass, the method consisting indelivering a stream of molten glass to a sheet forming pass, advancingthe stream so that the side portions thereof will engage the formingpass ahead of the central portion, and in reducin the stream to a sheetof substantially pre etermined and uniform thickness byspreading.

the side portions of the stream toward the center.

8. In the manufacture of sheet glass, the method consisting in pouring astreamof molten glass upon an inclined supporting.

surface, advancing'the edge portions of the stream ahead of the centralportion thereof, and in rolling the stream to a sheet of subness as itleaves said surface.

stantially predetermined and uniform thick- 9. In the manufacture ofsheet glass,the

' method consisting in pouring a stream of molten glass upon an inclinedsup orting surface, advancing the stream so t at the edge portionsthereof will leave said surface ahead of the central portion, and inrolling the stream to a sheet of substantially predetermined "anduniform thickness by spread-v .ing the edge portions toward the. center.4 65 method consisting in setting-up a moving to temporarily retard thecentral portion of the stream to allow the border portions thereof toadvance toward the forming rolls ahead of said central portion.

12. In combination in apparatus for producing sheet glass, a pair ofsheet forming rolls, tiltable means for delivering a stream of moltenglass to said rolls, and means acting to retard the central portion 'ofthe ducing sheet glass,

stream until said tiltable means is moved to a predetermined angle toallow the border portions of the stream to advance toward the formingrolls ahead of the central portion.

13. In combination in apparatus for producing sheet glass, an inclinedreceiver, a pair of sheet forming rolls arranged at one containing amass of molten glass, said receptacle being adapted to be tilted tod1scharge the glass therefrom, a receiver for I receiving the moltenglass from the receptacle, a pair of sheet forming rolls adapted toreceive the molten glass'from the receiver and reduce it to sheet form,and means carried by the receptacle for causing the molten glass, uponinitial tilting of said receptacle, to flow therefrom onto the receiverin a pair of spaced streams and upon continued tilting to cause thestreams to unite into a single stream.

- Signed at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, this 18thday of December, 1928.

J OHN L. DRAKE.

end of the receiver, tiltable means for delivering a stream of moltenglass upon the receiver, and means carried by the tiltable means actingto retard the central portion of the stream until said tiltable means ismoved to a predetermined an le whereby to allow the border portions 0the stream to advance toward the forming rolls ahead of the centralportion thereof.

14. In combination in -apparatus for proa pair of sheet forming rolls,an elongated receptacle containing a mass of molten glass and adapted,when tilted, to deliver the glass to said rolls in stream form, andmeans carried by said receptacle at substantially the longitudinalcenter thereof to temporarily retard the central portion of the streamupon initial tilting thereof to allow the glass at the end portions.

thereof to flow,therefrom in advance of the glass at the centralportion.

15. In combination. in apparatus for producing sheet glass, an inclined,receiver, a

- pair of sheet forming rolls arranged at one end of the receiver, anelongated receptacle containing a mass of molten glass and adapt ed,when tilted, to deliver the glass upon the receiver in stream form, oneside wall of the receiver being provided with an up standing li atsubstantially the longitudinal center t ereof so that when thereceptacle is tilted the glass will flow therefrom first adjacent'itsopposite ends and subsequently from the center over said li 16. In sheetglass appara us, a receptacle

